Want to enjoy chorizo, but don’t want to eat meat? No problem. This Vegan Chorizo Stuffed Napa Cabbage from our end of summer party has something for everyone in it. The harissa tomato sauce makes sure that you’re not skimping on the spices either.
What Can You Use to Make Vegan Chorizo?
Making a meat replacement can be difficult, as you want to mirror the unique texture of meat without the real thing. We’ve used Impossible meat (typically made of soy protein, coconut oil, sunflower oil, and potato protein). The oil bonds the proteins together and gives it that chewy but firm texture typical of sausage. However, there are a lot of different strategies for enjoying chorizo without the animal product if you’re not a fan of the Impossible meat. Serious Eats used frozen tofu, tempeh, and dehydrated lentils to mimic the texture and create something that cooked just like vegan chorizo. One common chorizo alternative if you want to skip the homemaking process entirely, is Trader Joe’s soy chorizo. You can just buy it right off the shelf!

Vegan Chorizo Stuffed Napa Cabbage
Description
An alternative to traditional chorizo.
Ingredients
For the impossible chorizo:
- 2.5 lb Ground Impossible meat
- 1 small diced yellow onion
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp EVOO
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika, sweet smoked
- 2 tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped
Harissa Tomato Sauce:
- 4 ea Guajillo chilis (soaked and seeded)
- 10 oz roasted red peppers
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 10 oz chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic cloves
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground caraway
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup EVOO
For the cabbage stuffing:
- 3 cups precooked white or brown rice
- 3 cups Napa cabbage
- 2 ½ lb Vegan Chorizo (above)
Instructions
For the impossible chorizo:
- In a large pan, sauté onions and garlic.
- Add in ground Impossible meat, brown.
- Add in spices, cook until fragrant. Pull off heat and add cilantro.
- Reserve in large mixing bowl.
For the harissa tomato sauce:
- Place both peppers in blender, blend until smooth.
- In medium sauté pan, toast garlic with the evo. When toasted, add spices until fragrant.
- Add in tomato paste. Toast lightly, add in pepper puree, chopped tomatoes and lemon juice. Simmer 30 minutes over low-medium heat.
Cabbage wraps:
- Cut base of cabbage, peel off 12/15 leaves.
- Blanch and shock outer leaves of Napa cabbage.
- Shred the rest of the head for next step.
Cabbage stuffing:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour a thin layer of Harrisa tomato sauce in the bottom of a oven safe casserole dish.
- Mix ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Lay out cabbage leave, place 2 tbsp of mix into each cabbage leaf.
- Fold the edges in on the cabbage and roll tightly.
- Place into your prepared casserole dish.They should fit snug into the dish.
- Continue steps 3 and 4 until all cabbage and filling are used.
- Cover rolls with remaining Harrisa sauce.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, ensure internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes prior to serving.
Recipe by Chef Kevin Hermann
Photography by Dave Bryce
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